The present invention relates generally to anchor devices, implements, or assemblies which are adapted to be used in connection with the securing or fixation of objects or articles to concrete substrates or substructures, and more particularly to a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation.
Wooden ties are conventionally secured to underlying railroad or subway concrete substrates or substructures in accordance with any one of several different well-known techniques, systems, or assemblies. In accordance with one well-known technique, system, or assembly, reinforcing bars are inserted within side portions of the wooden ties, and the wooden ties are then partially immersed or embedded within a freshly poured concrete foundation substrate or substructure. Accordingly, subsequent to the curing or setting of the concrete substrate or substructure, and as a result of the disposition of the reinforcing bars within the set or cured concrete, the wooden ties are now firmly secured within the concrete substrate or substructure. Unfortunately, however, over time, the wooden ties are subjected to various operational and environmental factors which tend to result in the structural deterioration of the wooden ties necessitating their replacement.
For example, the wooden ties are often subjected to large operational loads and structural vibrations. In addition, the ties are also periodically exposed to water and toxic chemicals which tend to cause the ties to rot or otherwise decay. As has therefore been noted, the wooden ties tend to structurally deteriorate in view of being exposed to such operational and environmental factors thereby necessitating their replacement in order to maintain the structural integrity of the rail system supported by means of such underlying wooden ties. However, as a result of the aforenoted embedded disposition of the wooden ties within the cured or set concrete substrate or substructure, particularly by means of the operatively associated reinforcing bars, when the structurally deteriorated wooden ties are in fact to be replaced, it is necessary to break up or partially destroy the concrete substrate or substructure in order to in effect gain access to the wooden ties and therefore be able to remove or extract the damaged or deteriorated wooden ties from the concrete substrate or substructure. Not only are such procedures tedious and time-consuming, but in addition, such procedures are effectively wasteful of resources in that the original concrete substrate or substructure must firstly be partially destroyed, and then, secondly, the concrete substrate or substructure must, in effect, be subsequently repaired by embedding or immersing the new replacement wooden ties within a freshly poured section of the concrete substrate or substructure foundation.
In accordance with another well-known technique, system, or assembly for conventionally securing wooden ties to underlying railroad or subway concrete substrates or substructures, a plurality of expansion anchors are operatively associated with the wooden ties and inserted within fastener bore holes suitably formed at predetermined locations within the concrete substrate or substructure. However, it has been experienced that, again, over the course of time, and as a result of such expansion anchor fasteners being subjected to the aforenoted large operational loads and structural vibrations inherently attendant the operation of the railroad or subway systems, the expansion anchor fasteners tend to work themselves loose with respect to their associated bore holes defined within the concrete substrate or substructure thereby adversely affecting the structural integrity of the wooden ties and the overlying rail system.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation, and which effectively overcomes the various operational disadvantages and drawbacks characteristic of the PRIOR ART systems.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation, and which readily, easily, and simply enables the replacement of the wooden ties, as necessary, without requiring the partial destruction of the underlying concrete substrate or substructure in order to remove or extract the damaged or deteriorated wooden tie members.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation, and which can withstand the substantially large operational loads and structural vibrational forces attendant operation of the railroad or subway system such that the wooden ties remain tightly secured to the underlying concrete substrate or substructure.
A last object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation, and which can be used in connection with a pre-existing concrete substrate or substructure foundation, or alternatively, in connection with a freshly poured concrete substrate or substructure foundation.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved anchor assembly, and a method of installing the same, which is especially useful in connection with the anchoring or fixation of wooden railroad or subway ties to an underlying concrete substructure or substrate which forms an integral part of a railroad or subway foundation, wherein the anchor assembly primarily comprises an externally threaded rod member having an internally threaded bore, a cylindrical or tubular sleeve or spacer member, and an externally threaded headed bolt member which is adapted to be axially inserted through the sleeve or spacer member such that the non-headed threaded end of the bolt member is threadedly engaged within the internally threaded bore of the externally threaded rod member. In order to respectively mount an anchor assembly, constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, upon any one of the wooden tie members at any location along the longitudinal extent of any one of the wooden tie members, a through-bore is initially made within each wooden tie member at each one of the longitudinally located anchor assembly mounting sites. The externally threaded rod member is then inserted into the wooden tie through-bore from the underside of the wooden tie while the sleeve or spacer member is inserted into the wooden tie through-bore from the top side of the wooden tie. The externally threaded bolt member is then coaxially aligned with, and inserted within, the upper end of the sleeve or spacer member, and the other end of the bolt member is threadedly engaged with the internally threaded bore of the externally threaded rod member so as to be hand-tightened to a substantially fully engaged state.
Accordingly, in order to fixedly secure any one of the wooden tie members to a pre-existing underlying concrete substrate or substructure foundation by means of the anchor assemblies constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, and in accordance with a first installation method of the present invention, a bore hole is formed within the concrete substrate or substructure foundation, and a suitable adhesive is deposited within the bore hole formed within the concrete substrate or substructure so as to partially fill the same. The anchor assembly and the wooden tie member are then disposed above the bore hole formed within the concrete substrate or substructure, and the lower end of the externally threaded rod member is inserted into the bore hole so as to be embedded, immersed, or submerged within the adhesive material disposed within the concrete substrate or substructure bore hole while the wooden tie member is in effect seated upon the upper external surface of the concrete foundation. The threaded headed bolt member and the sleeve or spacer member are then moved axially downwardly or through the through-bore defined within the wooden tie member so as to not only ensure that the head portion of the bolt member is substantially flush with the upper surface of the wooden tie member so as not to project any more than necessary above the upper side of the wooden tie member, but in addition, to effectively force the externally threaded rod member to be entirely embedded, submerged, or immersed within the adhesive material disposed within the concrete substrate or substructure bore hole. Upon complete curing or setting of the adhesive material, the threaded bolt member is then tightened to its final suitably torqued state with respect to the threaded rod member thereby fixing the wooden tie member in place.
In accordance with an alternative installation process for fixedly securing any one of the wooden tie members to a pre-existing underlying concrete substrate or substructure foundation by means of the anchor assemblies constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, a particular wooden tie member is initially seated upon the upper external surface of the concrete foundation, and a bore hole is formed within both the wooden tie member at a predetermined anchor assembly site as well as within the concrete substrate or substructure foundation. A suitable adhesive is then deposited within the bore hole portion formed within the concrete substrate or substructure so as to partially fill the same. The anchor assembly is then inserted into and through the bore hole portion formed within the wooden tie member such that the externally threaded rod member is inserted into the concrete bore hole so as to be embedded, immersed, or submerged within the adhesive material disposed within the concrete substrate or substructure bore hole. The externally threaded headed bolt member and the sleeve or spacer member are then moved axially downwardly or entirely through the through-bore defined within the wooden tie member so as to not only ensure that the head portion of the bolt member is substantially flush with the upper surface of the wooden tie member so as not to project any more than necessary above the upper side of the wooden tie member, but in addition, to effectively force the externally threaded rod member to be entirely embedded, submerged, or immersed within the adhesive material disposed within the concrete substrate or substructure bore hole. Upon complete curing or setting of the adhesive material, the threaded bolt member is then tightened to its final suitably torqued state with respect to the threaded rod member thereby fixing the wooden tie member in place.
Still yet alternatively, when the wooden tie members are to be fixedly secured within a freshly poured concrete substrate or substructure, the externally threaded rod member, the sleeve or spacer member, and the threaded headed bolt member are all pre-assembled with respect to the wooden tie member as noted hereinabove in connection with the first installation method of the anchor assembly upon the pre-existing concrete substrate or substructure, however, the step of drilling the bore holes within the concrete is obviously omitted as there is no concrete slab or foundation within which such bore holes could be bored. To the contrary, the wooden tie members, having the anchor assemblies mounted therein at predetermined longitudinal positions thereof, are suspended above a mold site, within which the concrete material is to be poured, such that when the concrete material is in fact poured into the mold, the lower end of the externally threaded rod member will be disposed within the freshly poured concrete material so as to be completely embedded or immersed within the concrete material while the wooden tie member is likewise partially embedded within the freshly poured concrete slab or foundation. The externally threaded headed bolt member and the spacer or sleeve member are then moved axially downwardly through the through-bore defined within the wooden tie member so as to, again, not only ensure that the head portion of the bolt member is substantially flush with the upper surface of the wooden tie member so as not to project any more than necessary above the upper surface of the wooden tie member, but in addition, such movement effectively forces the externally threaded rod member to be disposed at an elevational level whereby the same is entirely embedded, submerged, or immersed within the concrete material at a predetermined depth or level well below the upper surface of the concrete material when the concrete material is poured into the concrete material mold. Upon complete curing or setting of the concrete material, the threaded bolt member is then tightened to its final suitably torqued state with respect to the threaded rod member thereby fixing the wooden tie member in place.
The fact that the lower portions of the wooden tie members are partially embedded within the cured or set concrete does not present any substantial problems in connection with the subsequent removal or replacement of the wooden tie members because any bond which may have been developed between the wooden tie members and the set or cured concrete material will effectively be broken due to the aforenoted noted large operational loads and structural vibrations attendant operations of the railroad or subway transportation systems. Thus, this is contrary to the PRIOR ART system wherein the reinforcing bar members were in fact fixedly embedded and fully immersed within the cured or set concrete foundation rendering the ready or simple removal of the wooden tie members impossible. Accordingly, the wooden ties anchored to the concrete foundation in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention can be easily, readily, and simply removed and replaced without requiring in effect partial destruction of the underlying concrete foundation.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, and a method of installing the same within a freshly poured concrete foundation, substrate, or substructure, the sleeve or spacer member can be omitted, and in such case, the through-bore formed within the wooden tie member has an internal diametrical extent which is just slightly larger than the corresponding external diametrical extent of the externally threaded headed bolt member, and in addition, the diametrical extent of such through-bore within the wooden tie member is substantially less than the external diametrical extent of the externally threaded rod insert member. Accordingly, only the externally threaded shank portion of the headed bolt member can be inserted into the upper end portion of the through-bore so as to be capable of passing through the through-bore formed within the wooden tie member, whereas the threaded rod insert member cannot be inserted within the lower end portion of the wooden tie member through-bore. Accordingly, when the lower end portion of the headed bolt member is threadedly engaged within the threaded rod insert, the upper end portion of the threaded rod insert will be disposed in contact with the undersurface of the wooden tie member so as to effectively seal the lower end portion of the through-bore defined within the wooden tie member such that the freshly poured concrete cannot penetrate into the. through-bore and foul the threaded bolt member. The remainder of the installation procedure is similar to the aforenoted installation method or procedure described above in connection with the freshly-poured concrete.